Can you spot a fake?

[Megatron]

An MS380 for you this time;

 

The biggest "tell" with most of the fakes of this model is that all MS380 saws have the Elastostart as standard. Not on this saw... Also there is no felling "sight" on the recoil cover.

 

The pictures aren't the best at picking out some smaller details. However, this time they went too far with the ® symbols. Pretty sure there is not supposed to be one on the sprocket cover. Also the writing on the sprocket cover appears to be stamped/painted flush as opposed to the real deal which is raised out. In addition the plastics are a little "off" and so is the recoil badge.

[WoodED]

An MS380 for you this time;

 

The biggest "tell" with most of the fakes of this model is that all MS380 saws have the Elastostart as standard. Not on this saw... Also there is no felling "sight" on the recoil cover.

 

The pictures aren't the best at picking out some smaller details. However, this time they went too far with the ® symbols. Pretty sure there is not supposed to be one on the sprocket cover. Also the writing on the sprocket cover appears to be stamped/painted flush as opposed to the real deal which is raised out. In addition the plastics are a little "off" and so is the recoil badge.

 

and the chains on the wrong way

[Megatron]

MS250;

 

-as usual the recoil starter badge is wrong both "Stihl" and "MS250" should be bigger.

-no carb adjustment markings/standard settings.

-master control lever markings should be black.

-no "Stihl" label on sprocket cover.

-the handle is not an Elastostart one in which case it shouldn't have a cap. If it was a genuine Elastostart handle the orange cap should say "Stihl Elastostart" in black on it.

-there shouldn't be a fixing screw above the av mount near the carb adjustment holes, also the fixing screws should be Torx T27 not allen head.

 

etc.

[alex_m]

They're a bit more realistic!

[rxe]

The biggest give away on that 070 is the handlebar hose - I've never seen that hard/ribbed stuff on an 070, if you order it from Stihl today, it is smooth like most of their other saws. The other give away (once you got into it) would be the ignition - it will be Chinese, and actually work a hell of a lot better than anything Stihl ever put in there.

 

I think any new 070 / 090 these days has to be assumed fake unless you personally knew the bloke who bought it from a shop in Brazil.

 

Even on a genuine saw, you could quite easily find fake parts. Pistons and cylinders - lots of fakes, proper ones have Mahle stamped on them, and the pistons have Mahle on the insides. Though some of the fakes can be good - I put a "golf" p&c on an 070 and ran it very hard for a week of milling - no problems at all, saw still works fine. As I mentioned above, the Chinese ignitions are better than anything Stihl put in an 090, my 090 runs perfectly using one.

 

I also wasn't aware of any starter differences between 070s 090s and indeed Contras (early Contras were different externally). I use them pretty interchangeably on all mine....

[Old WoodChip]

Looks like a real one to me - been refurbed, I think Stihl are still making this model for the South American market but my money is on refurb - will let you know why if I am correct - am viewing on a phone though!!

 

 

you got better eyes than I have Spud, phone screen is ok but need a big magnifying glass

[Old WoodChip]

and the chains on the wrong way

 

how many spotted that

[Megatron]

The biggest give away on that 070 is the handlebar hose - I've never seen that hard/ribbed stuff on an 070, if you order it from Stihl today, it is smooth like most of their other saws. The other give away (once you got into it) would be the ignition - it will be Chinese, and actually work a hell of a lot better than anything Stihl ever put in there.

 

I wouldn't say that handle bar hose is anything out of the ordinary. The non-AV and older AV handles use the same (replacement) 19mm diameter handle hose. The later AV uses 23mm. I have seen many variations depending on age etc. One of my AVs has similar to that on the fake. It is also worth pointing out replacement parts are not necessarily the same as original ones for example the 19mm hose is also the recommended replacement for the MS380 which originally has a more distinctly ribbed hose. Once you get into the saw I am sure there is a lot more than the ignition to give it away. However, this was an exercise in trying to spot a fake without taking the saw apart.

 

I think any new 070 / 090 these days has to be assumed fake unless you personally knew the bloke who bought it from a shop in Brazil.

I agree that you should be weary of any NOS 070/090. I don't believe either are made anymore though. The 070 was replaced by the MS720 and the 090 I think was discontinued a few years ago.

 

Even on a genuine saw, you could quite easily find fake parts. Pistons and cylinders - lots of fakes, proper ones have Mahle stamped on them, and the pistons have Mahle on the insides. Though some of the fakes can be good - I put a "golf" p&c on an 070 and ran it very hard for a week of milling - no problems at all, saw still works fine. As I mentioned above, the Chinese ignitions are better than anything Stihl put in an 090, my 090 runs perfectly using one.

 

There is a moral difference between non-genuine and fake/counterfeit parts/saws. The saw in question is counterfeit as it was being sold as genuine. Also worth pointing out that the manufacturers of this saw choose to infringe on Stihl's intellectual property in labelling it Stihl so why wouldn't they just copy the Mahle sign also?

As for the ignition by better I presume you mean it is electronic. Stihl did infact put some Bosch electronic ignitions in 070/090 saws. I don't know if they were prototypes or if they were 070 saws made in Brazil but they do exist. With regards to being better I can't comment as I don't have an eletronic ignition to compare. However, I know for a fact electronic ignitions often do not fare well when positioned under the flywheel due to the heat. An example would be the 075/early 076 electronic ignition having a high failure rate resulting in Stihl making the trigger plate external instead of under the flywheel.

 

I also wasn't aware of any starter differences between 070s 090s and indeed Contras (early Contras were different externally). I use them pretty interchangeably on all mine....

 

The 070 recoil has a smaller rope rotor and concave fins whereas the 090 has straighter fins. The recoils are interchangeable providing the starter cup matches i.e. friction shoe/pawl.

[Megatron]

and the chains on the wrong way

 

how many spotted that

 

How does that make it fake? I have seen several big brand saws advertised with the same faux pas. I expect it is because the saws get shipped to the promotions/advertising department for photoshoots but the employees likely know nothing about how saws operate.

[Megatron]

I also wasn't aware of any starter differences between 070s 090s and indeed Contras (early Contras were different externally). I use them pretty interchangeably on all mine....

 

The 070 recoil has a smaller rope rotor and concave fins whereas the 090 has straighter fins. The recoils are interchangeable providing the starter cup matches i.e. friction shoe/pawl.

 

I meant to post this a while ago. 070 on the left, 090 on the right. Ignore the different badges as that is to do with age rather than anything else. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if some 070s were bought with the 090 starter cover (more likely from dealer as opposed to factory) to make them easier to start?